TV Guide spoke with ER's exec producer David Zabel who confirmed that Croatian thesp Visnjic is indeed a candidate for the role of 007. "We have a contingency plan [in case he is cast]," Zabel informed TV Guide.

Zabel added that if Visnjic got the role it would not mean he'd be written out of ER. "We would film a bunch of stuff [with Kovac] at one time for later episodes. Or, depending on where the Bond film was shooting, he might be able to work on both at the same time. That's what [George] Clooney did. He was shooting Batman & Robin for part of the day and ER the other part."

There has been no official word yet on who has been cast as Bond so fans should not assume the role is Visnjic's. Officially, the casting hunt for the next Bond continues.

Casino Royale is slated to begin filming in early 2006 for a fourth-quarter release.